The title of the thread says it all! Discuss your favorite tracks from Signals through Hold Your Fire. Your favorite Lifeson solos. Your favorite Neil Peart moments. Your favorite Geddy Lee bass parts. Anyway, you get the idea. Even though I love Hemispheres through Moving Pictures, it is Rush's 'synth period' that I enjoy more than any other period in the band's history. Many diehard Rush fans I've spoken with aren't particularly keen on this era, but when I pull out a Rush album, it's usually Signals through Hold Your Fire. I LOVE how Geddy was able to incorporate synthesizers into a trio format. It gave their sound-world more weight and made it fuller IMHO.

And one more thing: HAVE FUN! Let's keep the negativity to a minimum also. This isn't the thread to bash the band (for those that don't like the band) nor is it a thread designed to insult the other person. Let's keep this lively and peaceful. There's enough ugliness in this world, so please let's be kind to each other. We should also welcome contrasting opinions and different viewpoints.

Now with further ado Rush's Synth Period -

Edited by Mirror Image - August 19 2014 at 21:23

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

I guess I'll get the ball rolling by saying that Power Windows may end up being my favorite Rush album of all-time. No joke. There's something truly special about this album. I'm still of the opinion that there's something deeper emotionally going on with Power Windows. I just think a song like Middletown Dreams has a lot of sadness to it, but it's ambiguously clothed in these kinds of forcefully valiant overtones, but the undertones, which seem to go unnoticed a lot of times in Rush's music I think, are of great anguish and I maybe a certain feeling of desperation. I just love this song so much and think it's one of the finest things they've put on record. Mystic Rhythms is also one these strange Rush songs that in the hands of any other band wouldn't work or sound right, but they just nail it. Ambient, atmospheric, but also heavily rhythmic, I can't think of any other song they've recorded that even sounds like it.

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

The title of the thread says it all! Discuss your favorite tracks from Signals through Hold Your Fire. Your favorite Lifeson solos. Your favorite Neil Peart moments. Your favorite Geddy Lee bass parts. Anyway, you get the idea. Even though I love Hemispheres through Moving Pictures, it is Rush's 'synth period' that I enjoy more than any other period in the band's history. Many diehard Rush fans I've spoken with aren't particularly keen on this era, but when I pull out a Rush album, it's usually Signals through Hold Your Fire. I LOVE how Geddy was able to incorporate synthesizers into a trio format. It gave their sound-world more weight and made it fuller IMHO.

And one more thing: HAVE FUN! Let's keep the negativity to a minimum also. This isn't the thread to bash the band (for those that don't like the band) nor is it a thread designed to insult the other person. Let's keep this lively and peaceful. There's enough ugliness in this world, so please let's be kind to each other. We should also welcome contrasting opinions and different viewpoints.

Now with further ado Rush's Synth Period -

. I love the earlier period (A Farewell to Kings - Moving Pictures) perhaps a tiny bit more(but it's really really close ) Here are some of my favorite work from the Signals album:

I love that Geddy's vocals are getting better (really began with Per. Wa). I also love how he plays this little synth bit on Subdivisions(it furthers the band's sound in my opinion) and his bass playing is as good as always. From Alex, he's got some killer solos like on The Analog Kid and Digital Man. His guitar work is continuing to progress as he is adding different kinds of influences in the mix. The Professor is as steady as always as he plays right along with the boys.

Fave from here: Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, New World Man, Losing It.

From Grace Under Pressure:

The progression continues. We even get a little ska in here . I love the lyrics on here though as they are a little more intense. The album has an intense feel behind it.

Faves from here: Distant Early Warning, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Body Electric, Between the Wheels.

Power Windows:

My personal fave from this era. I feel there is something special behind it. Some have even said that this may as well be the missing link between Yes and the Sex Pistols. The themes behind this one is also one that makes it stand out for me. The theme of power is a real big one. Geddy's keys go perfect with the rest of the music on the album.

Not very many like this one on PA but to me it is just as good as their previous material with some classic stuff. The progression continues so much so that you forget that this band is a power trio of Heavy music. Great stuff. Classic Rush in my opinion.

Signals is a great record, GUP not so much but surely has good moments, then Windows redeemed; you can hear Lifeson's solo style begin to make an evolution on Permanent Waves but it's not till Sig and GUP that he comes into his own as a stylist. That squeaky post-Page stuff he was doing was getting dull.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy

. I love the earlier period (A Farewell to Kings - Moving Pictures) perhaps a tinny bit more(but it's really really close ) Here are some of my favorite work from the Signals album:

I love that Geddy's vocals are getting better (really began with Per. Wa). I also love how he plays this little synth bit on Subdivisions(it furthers the band's sound in my opinion) and his bass playing is as good as always. From Alex, he's got some killer solos like on The Analog Kid and Digital Man. His guitar work is continuing to progress as he is adding different kinds of influences in the mix. The Professor is as steady as always as he plays right along with the boys.

Fave from here: Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, New World Man, Losing It.

From Grace Under Pressure:

The progression continues. We even get a little ska in here . I love the lyrics on here though as they are a little more intense. The album has an intense feel behind it.

Faves from here: Distant Early Warning, Afterimage, The Enemy Within, Body Electric, Between the Wheels.

Power Windows:

My personal fave from this era. I feel there is something special behind it. Some have even said that this may as well be the missing link between Yes and the Sex Pistols. The themes behind this one is also one that makes it stand out for me. The theme of power is a real big one. Geddy's keys go perfect with the rest of the music on the album.

Not very many like this one on PA but to me it is just as good as their previous material with some classic stuff. The progression continues so much so that you forget that this band is a power trio of Heavy music. Great stuff. Classic Rush in my opinion.

Glad to see you're such a big fan of this period as well. Rush are one of my favorites and if it wasn't for these particular albums, I probably wouldn't be as big of a fan, but I'm glad they went in this stylistic direction. In fact, I saw in an interview with Geddy that he wishes the band could have continued to evolve with the use of synthesizers, but Alex was getting rather tired of, in his own words, 'battling' for space with the keyboards. Truth be told, he never sounded better than he does on these albums. His style was jagged, unpredictable, edgy, spontaneous, and completely insane, but it worked with the music. Those moments when he solos the music just takes off into completely different realm, which shows the importance of his role in Rush. I often wonder how much of this or that is Geddy or Alex (they write all the music), but I've gathered that those moments that hoist the music out of the mechanical grind are Alex, but that highly structured and rhythmic complexity is Geddy. Personally, you can't have one without the other. They just made it work. Neil's role has always been the lyricist, but his drum parts are some of the most incredible of any prog drummer. He may not have much of a hand in the writing of the music, but his contributions to their music is substantial.

Edited by Mirror Image - August 19 2014 at 22:26

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

Hmmm...bunch of favs for me in that era. Power Windows is probably a tad higher for me than Signals. HYF is musical brilliance for me, almost not a "Rush" album. Its like they morphed into something else for one album, then came back

GUP is a gem for me, I went thru 2 cassette copies in my car just playing it almost daily for several yrs.

Geddy's vocals were really nice during this era, maturing. And today I really like his sound, unlike others of his age, he has done very well taking care of his throat.

Both Alex and Neal really developed into masterful musicians. Neal constantly pushing himself for better results.

Signals is a great record, GUP not so much but surely has good moments, then Windows redeemed; you can hear Lifeson's solo style begin to make an evolution on Permanent Waves but it's not till Sig and GUP that he comes into his own as a stylist. That squeaky post-Page stuff he was doing was getting dull.

Yeah, I wasn't a fan of early Rush and never understood the attraction to be honest. Hemispheres is where things start picking up for me. Anyway, Signals is an amazing record. Subdivisions completely sets up the tone for the entire album. I honestly love every track on this album. Personal favorites are Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, The Weapon, and Losing It. To be even more honest, there's not a weak moment in their 'synth period' for me, but I may be a little biased here.

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

Signals is a great record, GUP not so much but surely has good moments, then Windows redeemed; you can hear Lifeson's solo style begin to make an evolution on Permanent Waves but it's not till Sig and GUP that he comes into his own as a stylist. That squeaky post-Page stuff he was doing was getting dull.

Yeah, I wasn't a fan of early Rush and never understood the attraction to be honest. Hemispheres is where things start picking up for me. Anyway, Signals is an amazing record. Subdivisions completely sets up the tone for the entire album. I honestly love every track on this album. Personal favorites are Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, The Weapon, and Losing It. To be even more honest, there's not a weak moment in their 'synth period' for me, but I may be a little biased here.

Just out of curiosity what is it about the earlier period that you don't really like?

Hmmm...bunch of favs for me in that era. Power Windows is probably a tad higher for me than Signals. HYF is musical brilliance for me, almost not a "Rush" album. Its like they morphed into something else for one album, then came back

GUP is a gem for me, I went thru 2 cassette copies in my car just playing it almost daily for several yrs.

Geddy's vocals were really nice during this era, maturing. And today I really like his sound, unlike others of his age, he has done very well taking care of his throat.

Both Alex and Neal really developed into masterful musicians. Neal constantly pushing himself for better results.

A great era for Rush.

A great era indeed and one that permeates so much of my memory. Just when I think I think I have everything they wrote during period memorized, there's another layer in all of these songs that presents itself that I didn't quite hear before and this is what of love about this time in their history. The music is more textural but they still have managed to remain a bit edgy and rhythmically driven.

I agree that Geddy's vocals are very good during this period. Quite melodic and he even takes some chances vocally that worked incredibly well like Middletown Dreams for example where towards the last go-around with the chorus he sings "Dreams transport desires, drive you when your down." I literally get goosebumps when he makes that vocal leap on when he says "drive you when your down." Absolutely sublime.

I love all the albums during this period. I shouldn't have tried singling out Power Windows, because I think their all very strong musically.

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

Signals is a great record, GUP not so much but surely has good moments, then Windows redeemed; you can hear Lifeson's solo style begin to make an evolution on Permanent Waves but it's not till Sig and GUP that he comes into his own as a stylist. That squeaky post-Page stuff he was doing was getting dull.

Yeah, I wasn't a fan of early Rush and never understood the attraction to be honest. Hemispheres is where things start picking up for me. Anyway, Signals is an amazing record. Subdivisions completely sets up the tone for the entire album. I honestly love every track on this album. Personal favorites are Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, The Weapon, and Losing It. To be even more honest, there's not a weak moment in their 'synth period' for me, but I may be a little biased here.

Just out of curiosity what is it about the earlier period that you don't really like?

The main thing is the rather emptiness of the trio format. By the time 2112 was released, however, the usage of keyboards started to evolve. Of course, they didn't have as much importance during this time as they later did. The music itself also just didn't really grab me. Rhythmically they were outstanding at this time, but I still wasn't completely onboard with what they were doing harmonically. Again, this started to change for me on Hemispheres when the music started becoming more complicated.

Edited by Mirror Image - August 19 2014 at 22:39

"Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

Power Windows was the album I hoped ELP would make in the 80's. Peter Collins production is very BIG! One to stick on and play extra loud.

However the synth period really evolved from Permanent Waves onwards when you think of Jacob's Ladder especially. By the time of Hold You Fire it was becoming a bit tired to me although Force Ten is a great track and one of Rush best.. I also love Signals of course which was very inventive and varied. Grace is okay but didn't quite float my boat as much.

I consider Moving Pictures the start of their synth period. The synth riff in "Tom Sawyer," the symphonic synth in "Witch Hunt" that blended perfectly with Alex's guitar chords, and the sequencers in "The Camera Eye" and "Vital Signs" added a whole new dimension to their sound.

On top of that, they gave us many of their best, most melodic songs; Geddy's vocals were peaking and he also ramped up his bass playing a few notches; Neil's drumming was off the hook (and definitely influenced by Stewart Copeland, which I liked); and Alex's solo in "Limelight" is a candidate for his best ever.

Signals was/is my favorite Rush album, for a very long time, but I like GUP no less: the first half is one of the best sides of an album I've ever heard from a trio or any band. Of course, Power Windows is another phenomenal album. Certainly we're all in agreement here.

Hold Your Fire could have been another top album, but the production watered down the guitars and muddied the bass. The vocals were recorded well enough, but some of the songwriting wasn't up to the standard of the previous four albums. It's still a solid album, but the last couple songs and portions of "Prime Mover" and "Mission" could have been more inventive.

I guess I'll get the ball rolling by saying that Power Windows may end up being my favorite Rush album of all-time. No joke. There's something truly special about this album. I'm still of the opinion that there's something deeper emotionally going on with Power Windows. I just think a song like Middletown Dreams has a lot of sadness to it, but it's ambiguously clothed in these kinds of forcefully valiant overtones, but the undertones, which seem to go unnoticed a lot of times in Rush's music I think, are of great anguish and I maybe a certain feeling of desperation. I just love this song so much and think it's one of the finest things they've put on record. Mystic Rhythms is also one these strange Rush songs that in the hands of any other band wouldn't work or sound right, but they just nail it. Ambient, atmospheric, but also heavily rhythmic, I can't think of any other song they've recorded that even sounds like it.

The three album block of PW, HyF, and Presto really scratches an itch for me. Love that stuff.

It's hard to compare those records with what came earlier because they are so different. I will always love Caress, and Hemispheres, and Farewell to Kings, and Permanent Waves as much if not more, but for different reasons.

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